Rush Limbaugh (1951–2021) was one of the most influential and controversial conservative media figures in American history. For over three decades, his nationally syndicated program, The Rush Limbaugh Show, reached an estimated 15 to 20 million weekly listeners, making it the highest-rated talk radio program in the country (NPR, “Conservatives Weigh In On The Death Of Rush Limbaugh,” 18 Feb. 2021). His influence extended well beyond media into electoral politics. After the 1994 midterm elections, in which Republicans won the House for the first time in forty years, the freshman class named Limbaugh an honorary member and presented him with a “Majority Maker” pin (Merida, “Rush Limbaugh Saluted As A ‘Majority Maker.’” Washington Post, 11 Dec. 1994). He later emerged as a leading conservative voice during the Obama administration and became a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, who awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2020.

Limbaugh’s career was also marked by recurring controversies. He popularized the term “feminazi” to describe feminists and made statements about race, gender, and sexuality that drew widespread condemnation. In 2012, he directed sustained personal attacks against Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke after she testified before Congress in support of insurance coverage for contraceptives, prompting a massive advertiser boycott that caused significant revenue losses across his affiliate network.